Volume 5 Chapter 7 Reminiscence 7️⃣
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
And so, I became the disciple of the elf warrior, Lucia.
My master, being a stray elf, had indeed built a tiny hermitage deep at the foot of a forest far from human settlements. Naturally, I ended up living there as well…
After being taken in by her, it didn’t take long before I realized a few things.
The trigger was when she casually asked me about my future plans.
Without much thought, I replied,
”I was thinking of maybe becoming an adventurer,” I said, scratching my cheek a little awkwardly.
The moment those words left my mouth—
”Oh! An adventurer, huh! Yeah, that sounds great!” she exclaimed, eyes sparkling. “Then I can help you out! Let’s start training right away. I’ll make you into an adventurer you’ll be proud to show off anywhere!”
She said this with great delight, taking my hand in hers.
At that moment, I already felt a flicker of regret. But the reality… was far worse than I imagined.
Yes.
This master of mine, the elf named Lucia──
was once a close friend of that Mama Vintenica.
I should’ve thought that through a bit more carefully.
* * *
”See? If you don’t dodge properly, you’ll die!” Lucia shouted, her tone light—as if she were training a puppy rather than a person.
With terrifying casualness, she swung her sword at me again and again. Of course, this wasn’t a training sword with a dulled edge. It was the real thing.
”Whoa!? Eek!!” I squealed, flailing desperately.
I’d barely ever held a sword before—there was no way I could handle this.
All I could do was stumble around, scrambling to avoid her deadly blade.
Then, as if she’d just thought of something, Lucia said with a grin, “I see. You really hate sword training that much? Then how about we switch to magic training?”
Once I’d somehow gotten some distance, she raised her hand—still gripping her sword in the other—and conjured multiple magic arrows in the air without even chanting. Then she fired them at me in rapid succession.
”Wha—!? Magic shield!!” I cried, throwing up a barrier in panic.
But unlike me—a perfectly average magic user—my master’s magical power was utterly overwhelming. My shield shattered with just one hit.
And of course, the barrage didn’t stop.
”Are you trying to kill me!?” I screamed, desperately casting enchantments on my sword, trying to slash through the incoming projectiles.
Naturally, the difference in our magical powers was too much. My pitiful resistance was easily overrun, and in the end, all I could do was run around like a headless chicken.
”Didn’t I tell you?” Lucia called out coolly. “If you don’t dodge, you’ll die. Soyuz, did you really think you could train without risking your life?”
Her voice was composed—too composed for someone saying something so dangerous.
”Ugh! In that case!” I shouted, gritting my teeth.
While dodging those terrifyingly precise shots, I began chanting.
”Fireball!”
In a bit of a panic, I gathered the rest of my magic and fired off the biggest fireball I could muster—straight at my master.
Yes. Only those who are prepared to be attacked have the right to attack back.
My master surely understood that.
”Dieeee!!” I cried—more of a reflex than intent.
The fireball—roughly as big as I was—soared toward her.
It had decent power. I didn’t expect it to kill her or anything, but maybe it’d land a hit.
I watched it with a strange sense of satisfaction.
”Hm. That boldness is commendable. But—” Lucia said calmly.
Suddenly, a massive sphere of water appeared in midair, swallowing my fireball whole.
Whoosh. With a pitiful hiss, the fireball fizzled out, vanishing entirely. The water evaporated as well.
Lucia—still perfectly dry—smiled sweetly. Then, in an instant, she closed the distance and stood before me.
”You should only do bold things like that when you have a real shot at winning… or when you’ve got no other choice left. And also,” she added lightly—
Thwack!
An unbelievable shock slammed into my left cheek, sending me flying.
I didn’t even realize I’d been hit until I was flat on the ground.
”There’s no way you should say ‘die’ to your master,” Lucia said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Dirty words can taint your soul, you know? Be more mindful of how you speak.”
She held out her hand toward me.
”This should be enough for the first day’s training. I’ve got a rough idea of your ability.”
Still sprawled out, I took her hand with trembling fingers and forced myself upright.
It seemed like, at least for today, the suffering had come to an end──
”Then let’s go fetch some water. Here, hold the bucket,” she said brightly. “Don’t worry, it won’t take more than half an hour to reach the water source.”
The demon elf, who called herself my master, beamed sweetly.
Correction.
Hell was just getting started.
* * *
”Hii… huu… Why don’t you just live closer to the river… Is my master maybe… a bit slow in the head…?” I muttered, wiping away sweat that wouldn’t stop flowing.
I was near my limit.
The bucket I carried was filled to the brim with water, and it felt like it weighed a ton.
”You’re the one who’s slow,” Lucia retorted cheerfully. “If you build your house near the river, it becomes a disaster whenever there’s heavy rain. Besides, I’m a stray elf, remember? A maiden forced to live in secret, hidden from the world. I can’t exactly live somewhere where people might see me.”
She said this while swinging both hands in a weirdly triumphant gesture.
…Maiden? At your age?
Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. But apparently, my face said enough.
Lucia looked into my eyes, then smiled playfully.
”Ah, Soyuz. Instead of bathing in the river today, how about we take a proper bath for the first time in a while?” she said sweetly. “Sorry, but could you make about 20 more trips? Oh, and bring plenty of firewood too. We’ll need it to heat the bath, okay?”
Utterly drained from both training and chores, I found myself being pushed further.
”…You can make both water and fire with magic, right? What was that huge mass of water earlier?” I asked, glaring at her.
”Oh, that?” Lucia said nonchalantly. “That was spirit magic. It’s a miracle that only us elves can use. We ask the spirits that dwell in the world to lend us their strength. It’s not something you can use carelessly.”
”Isn’t magic just… magic?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
”No, no,” she said, wagging her finger. “What you humans use is something entirely different. Think of it more like holy magic. You ask a higher being to fulfill your wishes.”
”Huh…”
”In other words, Soyuz, there’s no way I’d ask a noble spirit for something selfish like ‘I wanna take a bath.’ Spirit power should only be used for proper things. That’s the pride of us elves.”
Even though she just used it to try and murder her disciple…
I somehow swallowed the words forming in my throat.
Lucia narrowed her eyes and gave me a sly smile.
”So, I’m counting on you. Also, water heated by magic doesn’t suit our delicate elf skin. So bring plenty of firewood too, okay? I like my baths hot. You’ll need a lot of wood.”
After giving me a sparkling look of expectation, Lucia walked off, humming, “Ahh, I’m tired. I wanna take a bath soon.”
”……Old hag,” I muttered bitterly at her retreating figure.
In that instant, a chunk of ice the size of a fist materialized over my head and cracked me on the skull.
”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!”
I couldn’t even scream as I collapsed in agony. Then, from afar:
”I can hear you, you know. Better not disrespect an elf’s ears too much. Come on, get moving. Or do you need me to ‘encourage’ you a bit more?”
Another ice chunk formed above me when I looked up.
”I’m going! Right now!” I cried, tears in my eyes, as I grabbed the bucket and ran for my life.
Damn it! What do you mean spirit magic isn’t easy to use!? You’re tossing it around like candy!
Somehow, I managed to boil the bath by the time night had completely fallen.
Of course, I still got scolded by my master afterward…
Honestly?
This feels way more like slavery than it ever did back at Mama Vintenica’s place.
Notes:
• Vintenica – She is a tall, slender magic user, appeared as the new mistress buying six boys, wearing a deep purple robe with her right half face hidden by a white mask, half beautiful young woman and half eerie with blood-red lips, mysterious and slightly frightening.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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